While most of you have heard of Open Source software at this point (I hope you have, anyway), you probably aren't aware that each year Packt Publishing puts on a contest to highlight the best and brightest Open Source projects across all platforms. The contest is currently in its voting stage, ends on October 31, 2011.

The contest features applications in six different categories, including Mobile Toolkits and Libraries, CMS, Most Promising Open Source Project, Business Applications, JavaScript Libraries, and Multimedia Software; with five contenders in each category.

The Giveaway

As such a big supporter of open source software, Packt Publishing has offered to let us give away three print books and three ebooks to six lucky Android Police readers, just for simply checking out the Open Source Awards. Even though it's not a requisite to enter the giveaway, we encourage each and every one of you to check out the applications involved and show some love to those that you find useful, well made, or just all around cool. Since voting ends on Monday, this is your homework for the weekend. Don't forget it!

What You Get

Like I said, we're giving away three print books and three ebooks to six AP readers -- here are just a few examples of all that Packt has to offer:

Android 3.0 Application Development Cookbook

As its name suggest, this book is all about application development for Android 3.0, but the code throughout the book is also applicable to lower versions, as well. The book covers all aspects of mobile app development, including application components, screen layout and design, sensor management, multimedia capabilities, and everything in between. Regardless of whether you're a newcomer to the Android apps scene or a seasoned veteran, this book should have something for everyone.

Android User Interface Development: Beginner's Guide

This one is designed to teach the user no frills interface designed, geared towards beginners. With a "learn by doing" approach, you'll learn all aspects of design theory, including themes and styling to make your app look as good as it possibly can.

Android Application Testing Guide

Touting itself as "the first and only book that focuses on testing Android applications," this is everything you need to know about how to make sure your app runs stable and efficiently. It offers tried-and-true approaches to testing, as well as explanations as to what each does and how it works, so, by the end of it, you have a thorough understanding of the entire process.

How to Win

Congratulations, guys - all of you will be contacted for your information in the near future!

Everyone else - keep participating and stay tuned to Android Police so that you don't miss our upcoming giveaway announcements. You can follow AP on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, and RSS.

Entering is easy (as always) -- just drop a comment and you're in. The contest begins immediately and ends on Monday, October 31st at 11:59 PM PT. After that, we'll randomly choose the winners and send out the notifications!

This contest is open to all users across the globe,but print copies are only available to residents of the US and Europe. Users from all other locales are limited to the eBook only.

Good luck, and remember to use a legit email address when you enter so we can get in touch if you win!

Sounds good. I've purchased a few books in the past but android moves so quickly the code for the tutorials is now obsolete on
newer platforms.
I imagine these books will have the same issue now that the ice cream sandwich sdk has dropped.
Hopefully they are a good source of lessons for gingerbread though.
I hope I win one

Allison

Please choose me! I'm UI challenged!

Ron Pemberton

I would read every book on the market, if I could afford it. I love these book giveaways.

joasjobl

*drops comment*

http://www.techvendetta.com Ryan Scott

You can count me in!

Michel

Yeah! I would like to start with Android development soon, so at the moment I'm interested in every book about this topic. ;)

http://www.tylerlane.net/ Tyler Lane

Sign me up! I would love one of those books.

Andrae

This would go so well with my other textbooks from school.

Seraph

Does the International Dibs Protocol work here?

iron

Nice, I'm currently building up my stock of Android literature.

Kevin Kintner

Would love to win this book!

Jon Carey

yeas with this book I shall be 27 steps closer-to ruling this miserable planet!!!

Miguel F

Come on and book me up!

RiDelub

Give me the cake

Edward

Count me in!
The Android 3.0 Development Cookbook seems really useful since I have only developed Android 2.x apps with no Android 3.0 experience.

Hans-Erik

I'll join the fun as well. :)

PacoBell

Yeah, that testing book looks pretty sweet. Please, oh please!

Hemanth Mhesh

botttt!!!! well, thats all i have........

Nicolas

Count me in. Looks interesting book

http://www.kalechi.com Bruce Lill

This is just what I need.
Starting with mobile app dev

Ran

count me in, I'm starting out in developing for Android and could really use these books...

Jon

This would be perfect for me! I need to learn good interface design.

Jamison England

I would like to win one of these fine books!

http://www.wrightpcconsulting.com/ KWright

This is why Android rocks!

Varun

I am a software tester in my day job and learning Android in my spare time. I have just started and any of these books is going to help me alot. I am in....

http://h5apps.com JohnCoyne

mmmm, books! i hope they have lots of pictures

HomerSp

Me wishes to win :D

Kurt

This definitely looks useful.

Umang

Give me one...:)

http://www.twitter.com/kaushalmodi Kaushal

It wouldn't hurt to win these books. I recently switched from iPhone 3GS to SGS2. Looking forward to developing some Android apps. Right now using the official android developers blog as reference. Would be good to have few books to use as a formal reference. Thanks!

Andrew Ferguson

Here's hoping. I never win anything :-(

Allan Mosher

blah di blah blah blah pick me blah blah blah blah, thanks.

Arpit

Now, don't test me again. have lost so many contest, that this is the right gift to cover me. Hand them to me now.

ocdtrekkie

Still hoping to win something! May not be as cool as phone or tablet giveaways, but I could put it to good use!

Emanuel

I'd like a book!

Mark Slavin

Yes please! I'd buy that for a dollar

Matt

I could so use any of these books!

Bob

ANDROID POWER !!!

Randy

COMMENT! (comment comment... it was too short!)

Brian Zable

I need one of these books!

http://www.focuszonedevelopment.com Aaron

A WILD COMMENT APPEARS!

HawkiesZA

Would love to get that UI book. My UI design usually sucks :P

http://Gplus.to/DroidSmith Droid Smith

Cool book selection.

juan carlos

so when i write a message i am elegible to win?

Ryan Wallace

Come on and help a future dev out

http://www.twitter.com/kitster kitster

I love ebooks on my Samsung 10.1 - it is like carrying a small library in your hand!

http://tantrajnaan.com Udayan

Let us hope I win it this time at least !

Jeremy M

Great selection.

http://MyShocker.com Alan Nudi

Wow I can actually feel my insides getting all jiggly just thinking about this. I can't even tell you how happy I would be!!!

Scott

I would love to win something:)

Cooper

Jellybean!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ryan

It'd be nice to actually win a giveaway for a change.

Wai Wong

Sign me in, hoping to win something nice

April Johnson

love love love me some android

Josh Cissell

Man would these be great, just got my ide setup and need to get cracking! Err coding ;-)

http://joe-bass.com Joseph Bass

Those are some useful books, it would be nice to get one.

http://www.chriseaston.com Chris

Sign me up, I'd love to get one of these books and delve more into this type of development.

Jorge

Sign me up, I'll put this book to good use.

Orion Listug

Dang! I would definitely love to win this! I just started working on android development. :P

Madden

May I, oh may I please have this wonderful book? =)

Joshua Morgan

Would love to win this. You guys give away great prizes.

MJ

Awesome books on Android development and it would be a great help to me to win this giveaway!

Phil

I would love to win one of those books!!

Federico

That is exactly what I need! Thank you AP!

Borche Georgiev

my sister want to get one of these books, because she is a complete beginner in android programming

I want Android User Interface Development: Beginner's Guide to get started

http://v-kotov.ru Vitaliy

Thaks for info! Voted for my favorite products.

p.s. Android rocks!

http://www.weblogku.com Azam

Would love to know more about Android... :)

AdrianP

The cookbook could get me started on Android dev.

Maniac

I'm happy with an eBook.

Hugobosslives

entered (random words to make this comment long enough :P)

http://www.stevenmattera.com Steven Mattera

Can't have enough reading material. (Some more words so it allows me to comment and stuff.)

http://leijonat-2011.blogspot.com petri Kaunisto

Woot! Let's do this for the win!

Anthony Glyadchenko

I like ice cream.

http://subforge.org Christoph

Wow, that is a compelling selection of books, too bad I am outside of the US.

Sundar

who still reads books when you got tablet action?

Caroline

I would love to win, too! I need to learn android programming.

Smiley

Thank you for another Giveaway. Good luck to all who entered.

http://romrepo.info TechJeeper

As always, thanks for the opportunity to win!

nolmt60243

COMMENT!!! Looking to start deving in both ROM's and apps, and this would provide a great start! Thanks!!!

Scott

Awesome, would love any of these.

HappyNachp

This is on! Wish me luck.

Rogue2204

I'd would love to have one in addition to the books I hope to get for xmas!

zacthespack

I would love to win this, would be a real help in my university course and give me a head start when we start the mobile development modules :D

http://www.comprx.com Michael Mckenzie

Oh I want these so bad

http://communicationlibrary.info jackie craig sparks

ALL Your books are belong to us.

Theodor Hellesvik

Count me in, I want to start deving soon!

cazafka

Free books for me?

Samar

These books would be a Gr8 starting point of one's career into this vast world of Android Tech to understand and contribute in it a much bigger way.

Chris

I could use one to help my developing

Kris Davis

These are great! Hope I win, but good luck all!!

Nick

It'd be awesome to get an Android Development book!

Mike

Any of these books would be useful to me.

Aaron

Cool! I'm in, thanks AP!

watson387

This would be sweet!

C.Ferri

I would like to win a free book so I can learn how to develop applications for the free tablet I won! (Or you can award it to the commenter below this one. That would make me seem like less of a douche.)

rabadi

E-book is fine as long as readers from Australia, Asia, and Africa are not left out in the cold :-)

Mohammed

I'd would love to have one in addition to the books I hope to get for xmas!

http://david.chaves.ca David Chaves

Count me in, please, for the e-book!

Jon

These are great, would love to have these books !

charles

Man I would love that testing book.

http://twitter.com/four8fifteen16 Ben B

I love these contests. Keep 'em coming!

Cody Callaway

These would be a great addition to my Android development library

randy

I'm going to try to win again.

Nathan

would be really cool if I won

Zach

This would be perfect because I have been wanting to get into Android development more seriously.

Sean W.

I love Android :D!
I really hope i win...

Jeremy

Android fanboy here, with a desire to develop something to give back to the community

Kevin Knuthia

AWESOME! Hope I Win!

Hiram

Packt Publishing is the bomb... :) Thanks for another cool giveaway, Android Police!